Fans now know 'Home Alone' star John Heard’s official cause of death

According to TMZ, the Santa Clara County coroner's office confirmed the "Home Alone" star's official cause of death as a "sudden cardiac death due to atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease."

Heard was found in a Palo Alto, Calif., hotel room on July 21. Two days before his death, Heard underwent a minor back surgery and was recovering in the hotel. Officials stated that the operation "did not play a role in his death."

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John Heard through the years

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John Heard through the years

Actor John Heard, actress Nastassja Kinski, David Bowie and director Paul Schrader at a private screening of Paul's movie 'Cat People' , which stars Heard and Kinski and has music by David Bowie, in New York City on January 27, 1982. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)

Actor John Heard poses for a portrait in circa 1995. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD - NOVEMBER 09: SAG member De Wayne Williams (L) and actor John Heard arrive at the Screen Actors Guild & SAGIndie Breakthrough Filmmakers Party during AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on November 9, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: Actor John Heard attends The Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences' Producers Peer Group Celebrates The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards held at the SLS Hotel on September 12, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)

BURBANK, CA - SEPTEMBER 08: Actor John Heard participates in the 'Sharknado' DVD Signing held at Dark Delicacies Bookstore on September 8, 2013 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 25: Actors Malcolm McDowell, Nastassja Kinski and John Heard of 'Cat People' at The Hollywood Show held at the LAX Westin Hotel on April 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

"Nothing was more intense than John's performance in life," he wrote. "He lived it hard, fast and fearlessly. He was a romantic and a raconteur. He was as loyal and generous as they come. He was a friend and a brother and a legend in his time. RIP John."

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Celebrities who died in 2017

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Celebrities who died in 2017

Erin Moran, who is known for her role in TV sitcom "Happy Days," died at the age of 56 after a secret battle with cancer.

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Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died in his home at the Playboy Mansion of natural causes on September 27. He was 91 years old.

(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

Singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park committed suicide in July, he was 41 years old.

(Photo by Scott Dudelson/WireImage)

David Cassidy died on November 21 after having been placed in a medically-induced coma. The '70s heartthrob and "Partridge Family" star was 67.

(Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)

Comedian Jerry Lewis died on August 20. He was 91 years old.

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Tom Petty, the famed and beloved rocker behind hits like “American Girl” and “Free Fallin,” died in October following a cardiac arrest. He was 66.

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Actor Adam West attends the Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Press Room at New York Comic-Con - Day 1 at Jacob Javits Center on October 6, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Legendary actress Mary Tyler Moore passed away at the age of 80.

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John Heard, known for his role as the father in the Home Alone films, died on July 21. Some reports say he was 71-years-old, however, others have his age listed as 72.

(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor peacefully passed away at his home in Kentucky in July after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 73.

(REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)

"Touched By an Angel" star Della Reese died at the age of 86 peacefully at her home on November 19.

(Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage)

Roger Smith, who starred in the series "77 Sunset Strip" and was married to actress Ann-Margret, died Sunday in Sherman Oaks. He was 84.

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Gregg Allman, best known for performing in The Allman Brothers Band, passed away at 69.

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Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died unexpectedly at 52 after he was found in a Detroit hotel room.

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Comedian Don Rickles died at the age of 90 from kidney failure.

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Comedian Charlie Murphy died at 57 from complications stemming from a battle with leukemia.

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Roger Moore, a former James Bond star, died after a short battle with cancer at 89.

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Jonathan Demme, the director known for his work on thriller "Silence of the Lambs," died at 73 from esophageal cancer and complications from heart disease.

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Roger Ailes, who was at FOX News for two decades before being ousted last year for alleged sexual harassment, died at 77 after suffering a fall at his home.

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Bill Paxton died unexpectedly at age 61 on February 25.

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AC/DC guitarist and co-founded Malcolm Young died in November at the age of 64 after a three-year battle with dementia.

(Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns)

Soul singer Cuba Gooding Sr., who is also Cuba Gooding Jr.'s father, died at 72.

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Neil Fingleton, "Britain's tallest man" and "Games of Thrones" star died at 36 from heart failure.

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"Battlestar Galactica" star Richard Hatch died at 71.

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John Hurt, star of "The Elephant Man," died at 77.

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Butch Trucks, founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, died at 69.

(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Actor Miguel Ferrer died from throat cancer at 61.

(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Dick Gautier, known for is role in the Broadway musical 'Bye Bye Birdie' died at 85.

(Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Frank Deford, giant of sports journalism, died at 78.

(Photo by Marc Bryan-Brown/WireImage)

Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry, who is known for hits like ''Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven," died at 90 years old.

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Television personality Christopher 'Big Black' Boykin, known for his MTV show "Rob & Big," died at the age of 45.

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Dina Merrill, the actress known for movies like "Butterfield 8" and "Operation Petticoat," died at 93.

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Frank Pellegrino Sr. (R) died at age 72 following a battle with lung cancer. He was known for his role on "The Sopranos."

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Former pop singer Tommy Page was found dead at 46 in New York City.

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"Doll Squad" star Francine York passed away at 80 after a battle with cancer.

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Joni Sledge, the "We Are Family" singer, was found dead in her Phoenix home. She was 60.

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Jazz legend Al Jarreau died at the age of 76.

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Actor Robert Michael Morris died at age 77. His death was confirmed by friend Lisa Kudrow.

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Monty Hall, one of the most popular game show hosts in American television died in September at age 96.

(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Anne Jeffreys, star of ‘General Hospital’ and Broadway’s ‘Kiss Me Kate,’ died in September at 94.

(Photo by Rodrigo Vaz/FilmMagic)

Barry Dennen, member of the original cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” died in September at age 79.

(Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)

Famed soul singer Charles Bradley died in September at the age of 68.

(Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)

Harry Dean Stanton, the actor known for his roles in "Twin Peaks," "Big Love," "Pretty in Pink" and "Repo Man" died of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 91.

(Photo by Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images)

Frank Vincent, who had a key role on "The Sopranos" and appeared in a number of Martin Scorsese films, died at age 78.

(Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

Nelsan Ellis, who starred in the HBO series True Blood, died on July 8 from alcohol withdrawal after years of struggling with substance abuse. He was 39 years old.

(Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Blake Heron, the child actor who starred in 1996's "Shiloh," died at age 35.

(Photo by Utopia Pictures/Getty Images)

Comedian Shelley Berman, who was famous as a "sit-down" comedian and later as Larry David's dad on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," died at the age of 92.

(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Dick Gregory, the trailblazing comic and civil rights activist whose unique brand of comedy combined cutting wit and contemporary headlines, died in August at the age of 84.

(Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Martin Landau, the all-purpose actor known for his Oscar-winning performance in Ed Wood, died in July. He was 89.

(REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)

Gary DeCarlo, the lead singer of Steam, died in June at the age of 75.

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Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the Swedish film version of "The Girl With Dragon Tattoo," died after a battle with lung cancer. He was 56.

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Prodigy, who made up one half of Mobb Deep, died in June. He was 42.

(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Comedian Ralphie May was found dead in his Las Vegas home in early October. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 45.

(Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images for Pollstar)

"Benson" actor Robert Guillaume died on October 24 at the age of 89 following a long battle with breast cancer.

(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

Legendary New Orleans musician Fats Domino died of natural causes at the age of 89 at the end of October.

(Photo by James Crump/WireImage)

Former "Veronica Mars" actor Brad Bufanda died of a suspected suicide at the age of 34 at the beginning of November.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Rising rapper Lil Peep was found dead in his tour bus on November 15 in Arizona. He was 21. Officials are still determining his cause of death, which is suspected to be an accidental overdose.

(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Wendy Pepper, who was a fan-favorite on "Project Runway," died peacefully surrounded by family at the age of 53 in mid-November. No cause of death was given.

(Photo by Jonathan Grassi /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Jim Nabors, widely adored for playing Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show," passed away in November 2017 at age 87.